Many people listen to personal audio devices, such as MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 (MP3) players, while working or exercising. Personal audio devices typically include a player and headphones or “ear buds” that the user wears over or in her ears which connect to the player through long wires. While listening to the personal audio device, a user may hold the player in her hand or somehow attach the player to her body, for example, by using an arm band or lanyard around her neck. These methods can have drawbacks.
For example, holding the player in a hand makes that hand unusable for other activities that may be necessary or desired for the type of work or exercise being performed, such as grasping weights or handlebars on a bicycle. Further, it is possible to drop the player during physical activity, such as running. A lanyard may be undesirable during physical activity because it may cause the player to bounce, causing discomfort to the user or damage to the player. Also, a lanyard may be a strangulation hazard if the lanyard becomes entangled with an external object while working or exercising. Further, an armband does not allow for easy access to the player, and, because it is placed on one side of the user's body, may cause an undesirable anatomical imbalance.
Further, since the personal audio device is typically held in the user's hand or clipped to the user remote from the user's ears, the long wires from the player to the headphones tend to get in the way of working or exercising. Because the long wires are dangling lose around the user, the wires may become entangled with the user, someone around the user, or something around the user, and cause the headphones or ear buds to be ripped from the user's ears. This may cause injury to the user's ears or damage to the headphones or wires. Even if the user were to clip the wire to her clothing, for example, to a shirt, between the player and her ears, sudden head movement may cause the headphones or ear buds to be ripped from the user's ears.
Also, when a player is attached to a user remotely from the user's ears, the long wires tend to rub against the user, enabling the transmission of unwanted noise through the wires to the user's headphones or ear buds. This unwanted transmission of noise may also occur even if the wires are clipped to the user's clothing at various points.
Further still, a player hanging from a lanyard or in an armband is typically visible to others around the user, particularly in warmer weather when the user is not wearing layers of clothing. Many MP3 players are taken from users while the user is wearing the player in a visible location. For example, MP3 players have been ripped from a user's neck while hanging from a lanyard around a user's neck.
Also, wearing a personal audio device, such as an MP3 player, with headphones or ear buds may cause isolationism (e.g., the user not being able to hear cars around her). While arm bands or lanyards may include safety devices, such as reflective tape, that safety device will be on the front of the user (in the case of a lanyard) or on one side of the user (in the case of an armband). However, the dangers of isolationism tend to come towards the user's back.